Another Day in the Life
by samararh3
Summary: This is the story of a teenage Lin Beifong dealing with her younger sister, her mother, and her friendship with Tenzin. Mostly about Lin, Su, and Tenzin. Old Gaang in later chapters. WIP. Stay tuned for new chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Another Day in the Life

"Su! I made your lunch!" a 17 year-old Lin called as she scooped some rice into a bento box that also contained stewed komodo chicken and sauteed greens. Lin brushed her long, black hair away from her face as she finished packing up their food for the day and placing them in bags.

The teenager was in a hurry. They had already woken up late and since their mother had work so early in the morning, it fell on Lin to get her sister ready for school.

"Come on, Su! It's time to go!" She shouted across the house and yet received no response. Lin rolled her eyes and sighed; the youngest Beifong was never on time or ready for school. "SU-YIN! Get your lazy butt out here right now! I mean it!"

Lin listened, but when no one responded again she groaned and stomped to her sister's room, ready to drag Su out of bed if she had to. Her bedroom was messy, as usual, but when she looked at the rumpled sheets on the bed there was no one to be found.

"Su?" She called again, but with a more concerned tone before she noticed the open window. Her eyes widened with fear as she ran to the window muttering "no, no, no" to herself. "Suyin!" She bellowed as she leaned on the windowsill, craning her head outside to see a very empty yard.

"Not again." Lin said under her breath as she climbed out of the window to pursue the little runaway. She sprinted down the road, hoping to catch sight of her. Briefly, she wished that her mother was there because she would be able to find Su in two seconds flat. Lin was still in the process of mastering the use of her seismic sense and could only "see" within a 6 yard radius.

When she arrived at the fork in the road, she frantically looked both directions unsure of what path to take. Sitting on the front porch of the house to her left was their wrinkled old neighbor rocking in her chair.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cho! Have you seen my sister?" Lin asked with urgency.

"Su run off again?" Mrs. Cho responded in an amused sort of tone.

"Yes. Did you see where she went?"

"She went right – about two minutes ago."

Lin thought for a moment and looked down the road that was paved to the right. That is where her delinquent friend Chey lived.

"Thanks again, Mrs. Cho!" Lin called back as she took off running again.

Chey was that friend of hers from school that always seemed to be around when Su got in trouble. Neither was the leader or the instigator, but they certainly were a tag team for trouble. This was really not the day for Su to run off; Lin had a presentation at school for her World Affairs class and if she was late again, she would receive detention.

Once she reached Chey's house, Lin sped up the steps to the front door and knocked on it rapidly. She usually tried to avoid contact with this place because Chey's mother was a nasty woman; she never had anything nice to say and always looked at Lin with disgust. But, desperate times call for desperate measures and Lin was in no position to wait around.

As she was waiting for someone to answer the door, she heard a rustling sound on the side of the house. Lin's eyes narrowed and she went to investigate. She crept silently toward the corner of the front wall and closed her eyes to feel the vibrations of the earth. She could feel two sets of feet tiptoeing slowly along the wall. It was definitely them.

Lin stepped into the alleyway next to the house and crossed her arms as she laid eyes on her sister. "Busted." She said flatly.

Su groaned and turned around slowly.

"It's time for school. Come on or we'll be late." Lin said calmly, conveying that she was not amused by her behavior.

"But I don't want to go!" Su called back to her.

"Why?"

"Well – I didn't exactly finish my project for Social Sciences this week." Su responded without remorse, seeming to find hilarity in her shortcoming. "Come on, sis. Just let me off the hook this once?" She asked with a mischievous smirk, trying to appeal to their sisterly bond.

"Yeah, just let her off the hook." Chey chimed in, causing Lin's anger to rise.

"Beat it, kid." She said through gritted teeth and held up her fist. Running scared, he scurried quickly into his house.

"Nice try, but no." Lin said, redirecting her attention to Su. "You need to start taking responsibility for your actions. You are _going_ to school and you are going _right now_. Let's. Go." She said forcefully, her patience waning.

"What if I say no?" Su asked defiantly and crossed her arms.

Lin reacted immediately and walked toward her. "Su, I don't have time for this. You're coming home with me _right now_."

"No! You can't tell me what to do."

"Excuse me?!"

"You are not my mom, so stop acting like it!" Su shouted.

"Well, mom's not here and somebody needs to make sure that you do the right thing!"

"Chey and I are going to the mall."

"Uh, no you're not."

"I'll see you later." Su said, waving her sister off.

Infuriated, Lin charged after her sister and grabbed her arm hard. She began to pull a struggling Su back toward the street. "You're going to school whether you like it or not."

"Ow! Let go! Get off of me!" Su protested loudly. She dug her heels into the dirt, using her earthbending to slow her older sister down, but Lin was freakishly strong. In a different effort, Su made a stomping motion with her foot and knocked Lin to the ground with a slab of rock that she jutted out of the grassy lawn. The young earthbender pulled free of the death grip and proceeded to run away again.

"You're gonna fail your classes, you know!"

"I don't care!" Su screamed with fury in her eyes as she turned around for round two.

"Well you should!" Lin said and righted herself.

"Mom doesn't!

Lin was taken aback by this statement. "Of – of course she cares. She's just too busy putting food on our table to deal with your idiotic behavior problems!" Lin paused and sighed. "It's my responsibility to keep you on track. She'll take it out on me if she finds out."

" _If_ she finds out?" Su asked, lowering her voice.

"Look, I don't want to have to call mom because you know you'll be in much more trouble if she has to send officers out after you. So just – _please_ come with me." Lin pleaded in one last effort to make her sister cooperate.

Su sighed, finally giving in. "Fine."

"Fine… I'll take it. Let's go." Lin sighed and gestured for her to come. Su's arms were crossed and she reluctantly walked back toward the street. Lin waited patiently until they were able to walk side by side. She glanced down at Su's forearm, which was red in the place where her hand had gripped. Lin reached out to examine it gently. "Did I hurt you?"

"Just leave me alone." Su snapped and jerked her arm away.

They walked back to the house without speaking. They quickly picked up their book bags and Lin handed Su her lunch. The silence was so deep that it lasted the whole walk to Su's junior high school. The building was still; there were no children or teachers milling around because they were now incredibly late.

"Have a good day." Lin ventured.

"Whatever." Su responded and took off toward the front door.

Lin sighed and walked over to the entrance of the high school next door. As she reached for the door, she glanced over to see if her sister was still outside. Sure enough, she was running in the opposite direction back toward the neighborhood. Lin almost took off after her again but thought better of it. She wouldn't be able to do anything about it at this point and she was already going to be in trouble with her teacher for being late. Furious, Lin quickened her pace to get to class.

Carefully, Lin reached for the knob and opened the door to her classroom, hoping that she could just slip in without causing too much of a disturbance. Unfortunately, she was wrong in her assumption. As soon as she entered the room, she was flooded by silence and the entire class was staring at her including their stern teacher Mrs. Bansu.

"Well, if it isn't young Miss Beifong. How lucky for us that she has graced us with her presence." Hissed Bansu in her smooth and condescending voice.

A few girls snickered from the back of the classroom, which only added to the angry heat rising in Lin's cheeks. As she turned to walk to her desk, Bansu grabbed Lin by the back of her collar.

"Since Miss Beifong so carelessly missed her presentation, she will be receiving an incomplete until her attendance has improved. Let this be a lesson to all of you the next time someone thinks about showing up late to my class."

Fuming, Lin took a deep breath, wishing she wouldn't get expelled for punching her teacher in her stupid face. When the snake-like instructor finally loosened her grip, the young earthbender wasted no time getting to her assigned seat. Red faced from embarrassment, Lin proceeded to pull out her books, notes and writing utensils.

The student sitting to her left cleared his throat, hoping that his friend would notice. Lin glanced sideways to see Tenzin's concerned face. "What happened?" He mouthed as the lecture began.

Lin shook her head and set her eyes back on her work – They could talk later… She was not interested in getting into any more trouble on this day…


	2. Chapter 2

Another Day in the Life 2

The bell finally rang after the longest lecture known to man and everyone hastily packed up to leave. Tenzin glanced at Lin for the hundredth time that morning wondering what actually happened before she arrived.

Lin gathered her books and made for the exit without a word as Tenzin followed quickly behind.

"Miss Beifong." The teacher beckoned just before she made it out the door. Tenzin stopped as well, thinking he should hang back in case she needed support. "I am very curious to know what was so important that caused you to be tardy."

"It's my sister, she –"

"I woke up late…I had to pack my own lunch…My pig-chicken ate my homework – Believe me, I have heard it all. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior, especially from you. I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning before class begins. You will get the chance to improve your penmanship."

Lin stared into that awful woman's eyes and then left abruptly without a word, to which Tenzin sighed and hurried after her.

"Lin, wait!" He called as she barreled down the hallway.

Knowing her friend couldn't follow her inside, Lin scurried into the Ladies restroom. Tenzin almost walked in after her until the door slammed in his face and a few nearby girls giggled at the interaction as his face turned tomato red. He attempted to hide his face and leaned against the wall in wait. It took about 5 minutes for Lin to return to the scene.

"So – Lunch?" She asked in a tone attempting to sound normal.

"Are you alright?" He asked, finding all of this behavior very odd for her.

"I'm fine… Just fine." She responded, really punching that second "fine" for effect. They began to walk down the hall and toward the outdoor lunch area.

"Obviously…" He stated sarcastically.

"You know the problem already. It's my stupid, stupid sister. I was getting ready for the day and trying to get us out the door when I realize that she took off – Again!" The two of them found their way outside and skated around several groups of teens before finding a table.

"Did you find her?" He asked as they sat across from each other.

"Yes, but she is being a defiant brat. She made me miss my first two classes, she never actually went to school, I now have detention, and I managed to give Su her lunch but I forgot mine." Lin let her head fall into her hands out of frustration and shook her head.

"Just go get some school lunch. It's salmon today." He said, pulling out his own lunch.

"I didn't bring any yuans…" She said, sounding muffled from behind her hands.

Tenzin sighed and unwrapped his food. "Here, eat this." He said, handing her a spring roll.

"Thanks." She said meekly, but took a big bite. "Mom's going to be so angry with me. It's my responsibility to keep the house in order and Su in line so that Mom doesn't look bad to her colleagues. I am going to get blamed for this, you know."

"How do you figure that? It's not your fault that Su skipped school."

"I know that, but Mom won't see it that way. She's worried that all of this family drama will cause the council and the public to lose her trust. She is the chief of police and has a reputation to uphold."

"Oh, I know all about that. Maybe we should send Su and Kya on an extended vacation."

"There's one in every family." Lin chuckled, then took a few more bites of the roll. She stared off into space for a moment, thinking about her situation and sighed. "You know, Mom gives us all this freedom, but there are never any consequences. I don't even have consequences. She just gives me an earful and then drops it. No wonder Su thinks she doesn't care."

"It sounds to me like it's Su who doesn't care."

"Well, she should. It's not just her life she's messing with." Lin responded with frustration, and then focused her attention back on Tenzin. "Can I come over tonight? I really don't want to be home."

"Normally I would say yes, however, my father is hosting a dinner party for the council members tonight and my mom explicitly told us not to have visitors."

"Not even the extremely proper daughter of Republic City's Chief of Police?" She pleaded, but knew what his answer was going to be.

"I'm afraid not. I can't believe you would put on a fancy dress just to get out of going home."

"Well, I'm desperate."

"You can't go to someone else's house?"

"Oh please," She chortled, "you're my only friend."


	3. Chapter 3

Another Day in the Life 3

It was a long day of worrying for Lin; she was distracted in class because she was unsure of her sister's whereabouts, she was not ready to be mentally attacked by her mother, and the thought of having confrontation with the two of them made her stomach churn. She took her time walking home from school even though she was dying to know if Su got home safe. When Lin finally arrived, she walked through the door into a quiet house.

"Hello?" She called softly as she walked into the living room and glanced around the empty space. She crossed into the hallway and threw her backpack into her room before moving to the next door down from hers. "Su?"

Lin turned the knob, expecting to find another empty space, but that was not the case. She peered inside and saw her lump of a sister lying on the bed asleep. At least she got home safe, Lin thought and shook her head. She closed the door as quietly as she could and decided to get a jump start on homework before having to make dinner.

* * *

"Girls! Momma's home!" Toph called in her most chipper voice as she trudged through the door.

"Hey Chief!" Lin responded from the kitchen as she stood over a sizzling pan of pig-chicken with spicy cabbage.

"Smells good, daughter." The esteemed Chief of Police said and bent her uniform off her body as if the metal was a banana peel. It landed with a clank on the floor, leaving Toph in her white tank top and work pants. She dragged herself to the couch and plopped down with a loud sigh of relief. She stretched and put her feet up on the tea table, finally able to unwind from a hectic day.

Lin popped in to the living room with a tall glass of water in hand and gave it to her mom. "I thought you could use this."

"Thanks, kid… What would I do without you?" She said and forced a smile.

"You would starve, for one. Dinner's ready. Do you think you can make it to the table?" Lin joked.

"Ah – one of my many talents." She said through a groan as she reluctantly pulled herself off their comfortable couch. "Suyin, Dinner!"

* * *

The three girls sat down to the table for their nightly meal, Lin and Su remaining silent as their mother spoke of her day on the job.

"– So I told those guys to get lost or come back to the station with me!" She said, finishing an anecdote. When no one responded to her story, Toph took another bite of her food and sighed. "What's with the crickets?"

Another few moments passed where her teen and pre-teen said nothing, but continued to eat.

"Well – enough about me. How was your day?" Toph asked, hoping that a direct question would make them talk.

The sisters exchanged a frustrated glance and then Lin eventually gave in to the awkwardness.

"It was fine, mom..." Lin said in the dullest voice she could muster.

"Well don't act so cheery about it." Toph responded sarcastically. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I just had a long day at school, is all." She said and glanced furiously across the table at Su who was staring angrily right back.

"Su?"

"Fine." The young earthbender replied with the same timbre as her sister.

Silence followed again and Toph was tired of it. She stuffed a dinner roll into her mouth before deciding to speak. "Alright, what's going on between you two? Is it some sister thing that I won't get?"

"Something like that." Lin replied, hoping her mom would not pry any further.

As soon as they seemed to descend into quiet awkwardness again, the ringing sound of their wall phone filled the room. Lin and Su immediately shared a look of fear, knowing that each of their schools had a reason to call home for one reason or the other.

"I'll get it." They both said simultaneously and got to their feet.

"Sit down, both of you!" Toph shouted and then stood. "I'll get it." She wiped her face with the napkin, threw it onto the table in frustration and then made her way to the phone with a groan.

"Hello?" She asked without even a hint of patience in her voice. "You're talking to her – Mhm – Really?" The 'really' was less than amused. "What did she do?" Toph listened for a long time after that. "Of course. I'll be sure to address it – yes – I understand – Well – I appreciate your concern – Mhm – Goodbye."

Without a word, Toph returned to the table and sat. The only sounds were the clinking of silverware against the plates as they tentatively continued to eat. Toph gnashed her teeth, anger building up inside as the silence persisted. At the point where she couldn't take it anymore, Toph slammed her fist onto the table with a loud bang, rattling all of the dishes that sat atop the surface, and caused the girls to jump.

"That was your principal on the phone, Lin. How about you tell me about your day one more time?" She asked in a demanding tone.

The teenager sighed and put down her eating utensils. "I missed my first two classes."

"Yeah, so I was told. Why?" Toph asked indignantly.

Lin froze for a moment and looked across the table at Su, whom she promised not to throw under the bus. "I – I woke up late."

"Don't you dare lie to me." Toph hissed, "I taught you better than that!"

Lin fell silent, unsure of what to do next.

"Fine – As you gather your thoughts, I'll move on to your sister."

"Huh?" Su responded involuntarily.

"So, you're skipping school now?" Toph probed as she switched gears to her other kid.

"How did you know?" Su asked with exasperation.

"I got two different calls this morning while I was in a meeting with the Council. One from your teacher and the other from an officer stationed at the Little Ba Sing Se shopping mall." Toph said angrily at her younger daughter and then turned her attention back to the eldest. "You know, Lin. I expect this kind of thing from Su, but what were you thinking?"

In that instant, Lin no longer cared about the promise she had made; if she was going down, Su was going with her. "I was only late because she ran off and I had to drop everything to find her!"

"Snitch! You promised you wouldn't tell –"

"You're the idiot who decided to –"

"ENOUGH!" Toph boomed to end the bickering.

"I don't see what the big deal is – it's just school." Su stated with an attitude.

"The big deal is that you were being completely thoughtless! I don't care if you go to school or not, but I cannot have teachers, principals, and my own officers calling me at work to tell me that my kids are missing!" Toph declared forcefully. "I'll sound like my mother when I say this, but we have an image to protect. I am the Chief of Police and I can't look like I am unable to handle my own children! Su, that little stunt you pulled today was heard by the entire council. Could you imagine if the press got a hold of this? You were being –"

"I was being me!" Su yelled, momentarily overshadowing her mother's speech.

"Don't start with me, kid!" Toph uttered and shook her head.

"You never cared what anyone thought of you and neither do I!"

"Hey, I always cared about the way I was perceived and now I don't have a choice in the matter!"

"You always did what you wanted, so why can't I?"

"My situation was different. When I was your age, I was on my own – taking care of myself!"

"So?! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and you can't stop me!" Su shouted and stomped off to her room and slammed the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Toph demanded to no avail.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled, her voice muffled by the walls.

Toph sighed loudly. Suyin was acting just as Toph did when she was young; defiant, rule-breaking, and angry. She instantly decided not to press her daughter on this issue any further. Space… All she needs is some space… Toph told herself.

Lin had just stayed still and quiet throughout the whole blowout. She looked at her mom who was massaging her temples, noticing the dark circles under her eyes that showed her tiredness. Su was still a little too young and wrapped up in her own selfish needs to notice that their mother was burned out exhausted from dealing with work and their family drama at home. Though she hardly showed it, Lin knew that Su's words and actions managed to penetrate the tough exterior of the greatest earthbender of all time.

"Mom, I –"

"How could you let this happen? It is your responsibility to keep Suyin out of trouble." Toph snapped, obviously not finished with her rant.

"I –"

"I am too busy to take care of this kind of thing. I thought you knew that you are my eyes and ears when I'm not around."

"I do, mom, it's just –"

"Then what is the problem?"

"I did everything that I could to make her go to school. I can't force her and I can't stop her from running off. I'm trying…" Lin replied, but felt like her words were falling on deaf ears.

"Try harder!" Toph barked.

"She climbed out of the window! What am I supposed to do? Handcuff her and drag her to school?" Lin responded, beginning to get irritated by her mother's lack of understanding toward the situation.

"Look, I don't care if she goes to school or not! I care that she stays out of trouble!" Toph exclaimed loudly.

"You don't really feel that way." Lin mumbled after a moment.

"I never went to school and I turned out fine, didn't I?"

"I guess…"

Toph sighed out her frustration and stood. "Dinner was good." She said in a low voice. "I have a headache and I'm going to sleep, so keep it down."

"I still have to clean up." Lin muttered with a hint of defiance.

"Just blow it off till tomorrow." Toph said as she sauntered off to her bedroom.

Lin sat at the empty table for a while after her mother left feeling numb from the day. She stared at her unfinished plate of food feeling less hungry than she did before.

Lin knew that there was only so much she could do about her sister – 'half-sister' as Su so frequently reminded her. Still, she never heard their mother say that she didn't care about something they did. Lin felt extremely hurt by that comment, wondering what kind of action would actually keep Toph's attention. Then she thought about Su, realizing that she was probably feeling the same way.

Lin took a deep breath and stood, then quietly made her way down the hallway and toward Su's bedroom. She hesitated, not wanting to be the cause of more yelling. She knocked lightly on the door, and when there was no answer she turned the knob. The room was dark, but the light from the hall revealed that Suyin was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed cradling her legs in her arms.

Closing the door behind her, Lin walked inside and approached the bed where she sat down next to her sister. They were quiet; being sentimental was not a common occurrence in the Beifong household.

"I told you she didn't care…" Su murmured in the smallest voice, a stark contrast to the previous encounter.

Lin sighed empathetically and placed her hand on Suyin's shoulder for comfort.


	4. Chapter 4

Another Day in the Life 4

Hours after the house became quiet and the lights were extinguished for the night, Lin lay awake on her bed staring blankly at the dark ceiling of her bedroom lost in thought. As she attempted to sort through her emotions and the events of the day, she felt paralyzed in that planked position, knowing that if she moved reality would certainly kick in. Still, she couldn't help but go back and forth in her mind about how she truly felt about the whole situation.

She was angry with her mother and sister for being so difficult, and also upset that they were never able to work things out. The problem was that they never talked. With Toph, it was always less of a discussion and more like a one-sided shouting match.

It was difficult to determine how she really felt about all of this because, unlike Su and Toph, Lin was able to see the whole picture. Suyin was frustrated because she wasn't getting enough attention, so she lashed out because she knew it was the only thing that might work. Toph, on the other hand, was overworked, tired, and unavailable to spend actual time with her family. Lin often felt like she was being a better mother than her own mother; she always tried to help with the cleaning, she cooked for everyone, and took on the demanding task of monitoring Suyin. Lin felt that it should not be her responsibility to be a parent, but understood why the burden fell on her.

The most depressing part was when Su uttered the words that Lin had been pushing away for a long while. She. Doesn't. Care. For someone like Su, who craves attention, it was a hard truth to come to…

Lin felt a lump in her throat and that twinge in your eyes right before you are about to cry. She shut her eyes tight and whispered forcefully to herself "Stop it, stop it, stop it! Don't cry – don't cry…"

She took a few deep breaths and was thankfully able to calm down before anything escalated. Unfortunately, Lin was very sentimental which did not go over well in the Beifong house. Toph was always telling her to keep her emotions in check – to be steady – to be strong. Not doing so was a sign of weakness. More often than not, she suppressed her feelings because of these ideals.

Lin had just covered her face with her hands when she heard a soft rapping at her window. She jumped, and sat up with an audible gasp before she was able to look.

Perched on the windowsill with one hand gripping the roof and the other clutching his glider was Tenzin.

Confused, and yet happily surprised, Lin moved over toward the window and opened it as quietly as possible.

"What are you doing here?" Lin inquired with an amused smirk on her face as she crossed her arms.

"Well, I was curious to know how things went tonight. You seemed pretty worried, so I thought I would drop by and make sure everything was okay."

"You couldn't wait till tomorrow? You know – at the front door?" She said with a chuckle.

'No, I knew the look on your face would be completely worth it." He replied with a smile, which faded as his thought changed. "So – are you – you know – okay?"

Lin stared at him for a moment and then laughed again.

"Sorry, I know you're trying to be serious and everything, but I still can't believe that you snuck out and flew all the way over here. You must really care, airhead." She teased.

"Yeah, well – don't change the subject." Tenzin retorted, knowing that was a terrible comeback.

"Fine. Are you planning on hanging out there all night or are you going to come in?"

Tenzin hesitated and peered inside. "What about Su and your mom?"

"They've been asleep for hours. Mom probably wouldn't care anyway…" She said and moved over to the bedside table to light her lamp.

Tenzin climbed into her bedroom upon hearing these words and set his staff up against the wall near the exit in case he had to make a hasty escape.

"So, judging by your reaction, tonight went poorly?"

"Yeah…" Lin said and crossed her arms again. "Mom basically told us that she doesn't care what we do as long as we stay out of trouble."

"You kind of knew that already though, didn't you?" He said and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "You're always talking about how much freedom she gives you."

"It's different. She never really – said that to us before." Lin answered, remembering the argument and her sister's response. Lin couldn't help but feel sad as she relived it. When she actually looked back at Tenzin, she realized it had been a few moments and spoke quickly to recover the conversation. "Su was – really hurt by it."

Tenzin knew what that meant. If it wasn't clear enough in her words, her eyes exuded the inner pain that she would never allow herself to express in front of others. "Lin…"

"Tenzin…?"

"You're allowed to be upset about this, you know. It's completely justified."

"Just – drop it, okay?"

Tenzin was reluctant, but he nodded anyway, knowing from the tone in her voice that he would get nowhere with this issue tonight.

"So, uh – how was your big fancy dinner?" Lin asked, trying to divert some of the attention away from herself as she sat down next to him.

"Very informative actually. You would have hated it. Just a bunch of adults debating politics all night."

"Just wait. You'll be exactly like them in about 20 years."

"I don't doubt it."

"Well, I'm sure Uncle Sokka brought some life to the party."

Tenzin laughed and laid back on her pillows as he recalled a particular anecdote from that night involving Katara's wedding china, a sword, and a bowl full of shrimp. Lin wasn't surprised – she had seen many of his party tricks over the years – but she did not expect that he would actually succeed in messing up such an important meal.

Lin followed her friend's lead and crawled over to the other side of her bed to lay down.

"Mom was furious. She hid it pretty well, but there was definitely a death stare."

"I love that stare. Modeled mine after it – watch." Lin propped herself up on her elbow and glared at him using the Mama Katara method.

"Oooh. That's good. Very frightening."

Lin rested her head on the pillows again and got comfortable next to her friend.

"I thought so. Used it on Su today a little."

"Did it work?"

"No… Katara is, and forever will be, the master." She said through a yawn and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Tenzin tensed up a little and then took in a slow careful breath to relax again. This turned into a yawn as well. "Maybe I – uh – I should probably get going." He said stiffly, though he was reluctant to leave.

"Aw, come now. You aren't tired, are you?" She asked with a mocking air and tilted her head up so she could see his face.

"No more than you." He countered, feeling like he could actually win this battle. They regarded each other for a moment and then Lin's smile faded, her disappointment surfacing at the thought of being alone.

"Go ahead then." She said in a small, unconvincing and almost vulnerable voice as she looked away.

Tenzin's heart sank. Of course he didn't want to leave. He was comfortable, engaged in conversation and most importantly felt that it was his duty as a friend to be an empathetic ear during this time. The thought of getting caught by their parents crossed his mind briefly, but it was chased away by Lin readjusting her head on his shoulder. Tenzin smiled and sighed, sensing that she wanted him to stay there too. In an instant he made the decision to stay and scooted down on the bed so his head was resting flat on the pillow next to Lin's.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend?" Tenzin asked as he rested the side of his head on hers for comfort.


	5. Chapter 5

Another Day in the Life Part 5

Lin took a deep breath as she stirred awake from a cozy and restful sleep. It wasn't often that she had those kind of nights. Her eyes opened slowly to the orange and yellow fabric draped across her pillow. Very quickly she realized that it wasn't a pillow at all - it was her best friend.

She shot up and looked out the window to get an idea of the time; the faintest blue glow of the dawn was seeping into the sky. Tenzin, clearly a heavy-sleeper did not so much as stir at the movement. Fearful of the consequences, Lin looked down at him and pushed back the feeling of wanting to lay back down in the crook of his arm. She shook him insistantly until he reacted.

"Tenzin," she whispered, "Wake up!"

"What?" He answered rather loudly as he awoke to such urgency.

"Shh," she repremanded and glanced sideways at her closed door. "We fell asleep. It's almost daybreak!

"Oh no..." He said blearily and sat up in her bed rubbing his eyes.

"You have to get back to Air Temple Island - Fast. If you're not there when everyone wakes up, we're both dead." She said quickly and scurried to the window to grab Tenzin's glider.

"Right - I - I'm sorry. I - I need to go." Tenzin responded, finally wrapping his mind around the situation. He stood and received his glider from Lin who was nervously ushering him out the window.

"You alright to fly?" She asked with concern, noticing the air bender's lack of coordination in this sleepy state.

"I'll be fine." He replied and climbed onto the window's ledge.

"Be careful."

Before pushing off, Tenzin looked back at her with seriousness. "I will. And - Uh... Lin, it's going to be -"

"I know." She said, interrupting his "okay" as she nodded him off.

A cool gust of early morning air passed across Lin's face as the wings on the glider opened and Tenzin was carried away by the wind. She craned out the window and watched her friend soar into the distance until he fell out of sight. She closed the shutters quietly and sighed.

Now that she wasn't worried about being caught with a boy in her room, even though it was only Tenzin, Lin began to think about what had happened. Tenzin managed to cheer her up that night in a way that no one else could and she ended up having a much better evening than anticipated. The whole night - It was a completely innocent mistake. All they did was talk...and cuddle...and fall asleep together...in Lin's bed... A weird feeling knawed at the pit of her stomach but she couldn't figure out why. After all, ever since they were babies, they would have sleepovers and it was totally normal. But, for some reason, this felt different. Maybe even good different.

* * *

To energized to sleep, Lin instead cleaned up the dishes from the night before and got a jump-start on her homework. She was just packing up her books from the dinner table to leave early for detention when Su walked out from her bedroom and into dining area.

"Where are you going?" Su asked suspiciously.

Lin froze for a moment, suprised that her sister would even ask. "School." Lin said clearly and gave Su a fierce glare before stuffing one last book into her bag.

"Why so early, I mean?"

 _I have detention because you couldn't just do as you're told_ , she thought, but decided to blow past the question altogether. "Your lunch is on the counter. I'll see you."

Subsequently feeling the sting of the consequences she was facing because of Su, and also that of sorrow for her sister's pain, Lin shouldered her bag and left abruptly through the front door.

* * *

It was a long morning for the teenager as she trudged through detention and each of her morning classes. Her mind, unfortunately not on schoolwork, kept replaying the events of the previous night, including the family drama and Tenzin's clandestine sleepover.

Though it was difficult to admit, Lin enjoyed waking up next to him; Tenzin was warm and comfortable, and he helped her acheive this wonderful sense of calm all through the night. However, there was a dire question that she repeatedly asked herself the entire morning. Was she feeling something more? Not sure if she was ready to answer herself truthfully, she deliberated instead.

Lin certainly never thought of Tenzin in a romantic way. At least - not really... Before today, she never even thought about the many attactive traits he posessed. He was good-looking, fit, tall, a skilled air bender, and most importantly, he was always - always there for her. Lin smiled at the thought. He cared about her; at times he seemed to care more than her own family. Was it possible that she was developing feelings for him?

Not wanting to be embarrassed by Bansu again, Lin hurried to her third class of the day. It was also her only course with Tenzin and she was anxious to see if there were any signs of affection that had previously gone unnoticed.

Lin sat quietly at her desk and placed the heavy textbook on the surface. To seem less obvious, she pretended to read and then looked up at the door every few seconds in anticipation of Tenzin's arrival. Eventually, the late bell rang and still there was no sign of her frined. As Mrs. Bansu began her lesson, Lin's mind continued to wander. Tenzin was never late. Perhaps he was caught. Was he in trouble? Maybe it was something worse and he had an accident while flying back to the island.

Shaking these thoughts from her head, Lin attempted to focus on her teacher's words, hoping that the day would go by quickly so she could find out what happened.

* * *

Once Lin finally got home for the day, she was suprised to see her mom at home in the kitchen putting away the dishes. Toph was out of uniform and wearing regular clothes for going out.

"Cheif?" Lin called out of confusion.

"Yeah?" Toph responded, but didn't stop what she was doing.

"Everything okay?" Lin asked carefully and dropped her backpack by the door.

Momma Toph replied with a curt, "yep."

"Then what gives? You're never home this early." the curious daughter inquired.

"I took the afternoon off. Katara called and invited us over for dinner. Apparently they have lots of leftovers from some party and they needed to call in the professionals to get rid of it all."

"Oh." Lin quickly uttered as she attempted to slow her pounding heart at the mention of Tenzin's mother. "That's nice." What if they had found out? What if that's the reason they were invited to dinner? To have some long talk about being responsible and then at the end get grounded for breaking the rules.

Toph, of course, felt her daughter's heartbeat changes, but deccided to ignore them. "Get ready. We leave in thirty minutes."


	6. Chapter 6

Another Day in the Life Pt 6

Lin was on edge the entire ferry ride to Air Temple Island. She was still very unsure about the motives of this impromptu dinner invitation and she hadn't heard from Tenzin since he climbed out the window early that morning.

She had hoped that no one would notice, but Lin had actually put a good amount of thought into what she was going to wear that evening. She chose to put on a dress that her grandmother purchased for her the last time she was in Republic City. It wasn't too fancy, much to Poppy's dismay, but Lin thought it was okay - for a dress. Generally, she was more comfortable in pants, but she thought that maybe Tenzin would notice if she looked...pretty.

Now, on the way to the island, she regretted her choice to dress up. Of course they were all going to notice. When they left the house before, Su was the first one to say something.

"Why do you look like that?" Su asked mockingly.

"Like what?" Lin responded defensively.

"Like a girl?" Su laughed.

"I am a girl, nitwit!" She said with frustration and popped her sister on the head. "And I can dress however I want."

"You did not just hit me." Su countered and retaliated by shoving Lin straight into their mother.

"Knock it off!" Toph shouted. "Can't we get through one day without you two fighting?"

And that was the end of that.

Finally, they arrived at the island and the three ladies made their way up to the dining hall.

Before entering the building, Toph turned around and pointed her finger at the girls. "I don't want to hear any more bickering from you two. If you embarrass me tonight, you will think the time I found your babysitter tied up in the closet was a freaking picnic. Understood?" She said in a threatening tone.

"Yes, Chief..." The girls mumbled simultaneously as they entered through the door.

"The party has arrived!" Toph exclaimed to Katara who was setting the table across the large room.

"Ooooh! I'm so glad you all could come!" Katara rejoiced and rushed over to them with open arms. "We ordered meat for the party last night and the only person who didn't eat like a turkey-chicken was my brother. Aang, Tenzin, and the acolytes won't eat it, so I had to call in my backup plan," she said through many hugs.

"I gotta say, it's nice to be away from the city for a change." Toph replied lightheartedly.

"I'm sure you need the break. It feels like it's been ages since you last came out."

Lin just smiled as Katara talked thinking, she seemed chipper and happy. Maybe everything was fine.

"-And Lin, I just love that dress on you. Changing your wardrobe I see."

Embarrassed, she replied, "Uh, yeah. I guess..."

"The gang's all here!" Sokka's voice called as he and Aang entered from the kitchen.

"Food's going to be about 20 more minutes." Aang said as they approached. "Nice dress, Lin."

"Very pretty." Sokka added.

"Please stop it." She pleaded through a clenched-teeth smile and crossed her arms.

"How about we go take a seat in the kitchen while I finish preparing our meal?" Katara suggested and ushered everyone toward the kitchen.

Lin and Su exchanged a glance - it wasn't exactly fun being the youngest person at a party full of adults. Everyone entered the kitchen and found a stool or a place to stand before delving in to conversation about the party from the previous evening. Lin just sat there awkwardly, too much on her mind to engage in idle chit chat. Plus, she had already heard most of the story from Tenzin, who was at this point, no where to be found. She sighed, and just when she was about to chase all of these ridiculous Tenzin thoughts out of her head, he entered the room.

"Hey Dad, I just have to -" Tenzin froze momentarily upon seeing Lin, who was blushing furiously at his gaze. Her heart began to race, and the sure redness in her cheeks made her definitely regret pinning her hair back. "I - I just have to feed the sky bison and then I'll be ready. Hello everyone." Tenzin said politely with a smile.

"You need any help, son?" Aang asked and patted him on the back.

"No. No - I got it." He responded nervously and made eye contact with Lin for only a second before scurrying out of the room.

It was definitely a good sign that Tenzin was so flustered, Lin thought. She was sure that this exciting feeling was mutual, but at the same time, it was difficult to tell. Maybe Tenzin told his father he wanted to feed the bison alone so that she could meet him and they could talk. If that was the case, than Lin needed to get out of the kitchen and down to the caves without seeming too eager or obvious.

She cleared her throat after formulating a plan, "Not to - interrupt, but would you all mind if Su and I took a walk?"

"And so proper too. Who are you and what have you done with Lin?" Sokka joked, but was met with her devastating glare.

"Of course, sweetie." Katara said after smacking her brother upside the head. "We'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Thanks." Lin replied and motioned for Su to follow her outside.

"So... I guess we are taking a walk?" Su asked unenthusiastically.

"Not with me, but I thought you could use an out." Lin said as she looked around for signs of her friend.

"Whatever." Su responded and sauntered away. "I didn't want to walk with you anyway."

Lin ignored this comment and made her way down to the caves where the bison slept each night. She quickened her pace, wanting to get at least a few minutes alone with him to talk before dinner. As she rounded the corner to the caves, there was Tenzin carefully using air bending to dole out piles of fruits and vegetables to each of the gigantic animals.

The teenager smiled and looked him up and down - Yes, she was definitely feeling something new toward him. She walked up slowly, but he didn't notice until she was almost right behind him.

"Need some help, airhead?" She asked.

Alarmed by her voice, the airbender jumped and and dropped the pile of veggies he was floating through the air to the last bison.

"Lin! I - I didn't see you there." He said sheepishly and looked down at the wreckage.

"Sorry. Now I'll help."

Together, they picked up each piece of food trying to get it back into a neat pile. Unsure of what to do or say, they worked in an awkward silence, paying special attention to not get too close to each other. Lin was the first one to make a move toward conversation.

"So, how come you weren't in class today? You didn't miss much, but Bansu did give us a pop quiz on the rise and fall of Fire Lord Ozai. Not anything we wouldn't have aced anyway."

"Well - after I - got home this morning, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up for class." Tenzin said, only half lying. What actually happened was he got home, lay awake for hours contemplating his feelings for Lin, and eventually drifted off. When his mother came in to check on him, she decided to let him sleep because he never overslept in unless something was wrong.

Another dreadful silence passed while Tenzin created a wind tunnel that funneled the food into the bison's open mouth. Afterward, they just stood for a few moments, undecided about how to proceed from there.

"I guess we should return for dinner now." He said without much conviction and began walking to the pathway.

Having enough of this, Lin took a deep breath and said what Tenzin wasn't bold enough to say. "Or we can talk about what happened last night." She called after him urgently.

"Nothing happened! But at the same time -"  
"I know..." Lin responded with understanding. "I've been feeling weird all day about it."

"Me too..."

"Any idea why?"

"I don't know, Lin. I - I mean, we have never - slept in the same bed before." He said, getting quieter by the end of the sentence.

"Sure we have." Lin joked, to try to lighten the mood.

"We were infants. That doesn't count."

Lin sighed and moved to sit on one of the boulders that enclosed the cave path. Tenzin approached after a moment and sat down beside her.

"Do you - Well, do you think it meant anything?" He inquired tentatively, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"I don't know, Tenzin... I honestly never even thought about it until today." As soon as these words slipped from her lips, she could see the disappointment in his eyes. "Have you?"

"No!" He lied quickly. "I - I mean..."

Lin tried not to smile; he was cute when he was nervous.

"It was - nice." She said truthfully as she averted her eyes and blushed.

"Really? I mean - do you think so?" Tenzin asked anxiously and turned to face her.

"Yeah." Lin answered, "It was weird, but - good weird."

Tenzin sighed with relief. "Glad it wasn't just me."

They regarded each other for a moment and then Lin tilted her head toward the path. "We should probably go to dinner." She stated practially.

"Right - of course..." He agreed and stood, pursuing her lead.

"Let's go." She said sweetly and nodded for him to follow.

In a brave move, Tenzin reached out and took her hand to halt her stride for a moment. "Also, before I say this, you have to promise not to punch me, okay?"

"Okay...?" She responded skeptically.

He took a breath and said, "You look - you look really, very pretty tonight. I mean... You always look pretty, but tonight specifically."

Lin smiled, a sense of warmth rushing through her. "Seems to be a popular opinion tonight." She said wryly and interlocked their fingers. They walked this way until they reached the pavilion.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka proceeded into more relevant conversation after the girls left for their walk.

"So, how's work, Toph?" Aang asked as always.

"None of your business, as usual, Aang." She responded with annoyance and plucked a cherry tomato from the salad bowl then popped it into her mouth.

"No work talk tonight, please." Katara interjected and then kissed her husband on the cheek before placing some leftover bread in the oven.

"Fine. How have the girls been? That seems like a safe topic..." Aang said, mumbling that last bit.

Sokka chuckled, "After what happened yesterday, I'm sure they're both in big -" he stopped abruptly as soon as he noticed the angry scowl coming from the woman to his left. "Big - uh - spirits! Because everything's great!" He finished unconvincingly.

"Thanks Sokka, that was compelling." Toph sneered.

"What happened yesterday?" Katara asked with concern.

Toph sighed out of frustration, losing the option of keeping this dinner drama-free. "I got two calls during the council meeting that Su had skipped school...again... Later I found out that Lin also missed her morning classes. We fought, we yelled. Business as usual."

"Oh Toph, this can't go on anymore." Katara stated from the top of her high horse.

"Don't you think I know that? I am just trying to give them space and freedom. That's all they need..."

"No. What they need is for you to be firm." Katara said smartly.

"Hey! Don't tell me how to raise my kids." Toph snapped. "I'm doing the best I can."

"It's not enough! You have to be more involved with their lives."

"Oh really, parenting master? Heard from Kya lately?" Toph sniped out of spite.

Katara fell silent and stepped away, knowing that she might cry if provoked further on this topic. Aang sighed and hugged his wife.

"That was cold, Toph." Sokka said aloud.

"I'm sorry." She said immediately and her facial expression changed from angry to regretful. "I - I shouldn't have said that. It was way over the line! I didn't mean to - spirits..." She stumbled with the words, then gave up and caught her head in her hands, knowing she couldn't just take it back.

"Well, you apologized. That's new." Katara said, brushing off her hurt feelings.

"I know. I'm so off lately." Toph said, inciting a chuckle from her friends. "It's just - between working all day and training the girls - we don't have a lot of extra time..."

"Being a single mother - you knew it was going to be difficult."

"Yeah, I guess. Can we change the subject now?" Toph replied, defeated.

"How long do you think Tenzin will be? I'm starving." Sokka complained.

"You're always starving. He should be back any minute." Aang answered.

"I hope he's feeling alright." Katara interjected and pulled the steaming rolls out of the oven. "He slept through his classes this morning."

Toph laughed a little. "I'm not surprised. He came over pretty late last night."

"What?" Aang responded with confusion.

"No, no. Tenzin was here all night." Katara said and confirmed with a look from her husband. "Wasn't he?"

"I don't think so. He and Lin were hanging out in Lin's room - for quite a long time actually. Are you telling me you didn't know?" Toph asked, amused by this situation.

"I don't understand. My son would never leave the island without permission." Katara declared.

"He snuck out." Sokka said to state the obvious. "If he asked to visit a friend on a school night, you wouldn't have let him go."

"He still should have asked." Aang said, shaking his head. "Why would he try to get away with something like that?"

"Oh, come on. It's so obvious." Toph said and chuckled.

"Apparently not so some people." Sokka said to her with a smirk.

"Will you please just tell us what is going on?" Katara demanded.

"They like each other." Toph said quickly through a laugh.

"Big time." Sokka added and nodded.

"What? How can you tell?" Aang asked, dumbfounded by this information.

"Some earthbender you are. Can't even feel your own son's heartbeat. Every time he sees my Lin, his heart races like crazy."

"Wait," Katara began with a hint of temper in her voice, "Let me get this straight. My teenage son and your teenage daughter spent the night alone in her bedroom, without any supervision? What were you thinking?"

"Are you kidding me? They were just hanging out!" Toph said with exasperation, losing the amusement factor when the tables were turned back on her.

"What if something happened?" Katara worried.

"Nothing happened! Don't you trust your son to be responsible?"

"Not when he lies to us about his whereabouts." Aang chimed in support of his wife.

"Honestly, Toph, you can be so irresponsible." Katara fussed.

"Hey, at least I know where my kids are!" Toph shouted, again poking at the Kya situation.

"Didn't Su run off yesterday?" Sokka asked.

Toph spun around, her finger pointed in his direction. "Who's side are you on?" Sokka held up his hands and dropped out of the conversation. Toph took a second to calm herself before turning back to Aang and Katara. "Look, I guess I wasn't worried because your kid is the most respectful and level-headed teenager I've ever met, present company included. I trust them to be smart and careful. Besides, wouldn't you rather them get together at one of our houses, rather than sneak off somewhere we can't watch them?"

"I would rather them be honest with us." Katara said after a moment of contemplation.

"Well, that's not going to happen. They're teens. It's against the teen code to be honest with their parents about love interests. Sometime you are going to have to let go and realize you raised them to make smart decisions. Give them some freedom and allow them to make their own choices."

"Freedom isn't always the answer, Toph." Katara stated blatantly. "You have to set clear expectations, and rules, and follow through with consequences."

Toph stood up, her blood boiling now from the stress of this pointless argument. "There you go again, trying to tell me how to raise my kids!"

"She's right, Toph." Aang said, stepping in. "And I don't appreciate you being so cavalier about this situation."

"What do you want from me, Aang?" She asked, arms waving.

"I want you to think more about how your parenting affects my son."

"I don't have to take this." Toph said angrily and knocked her chair to the side. "The girls and I are leaving."

"Leaving? Why?" Lin asked as she and Tenzin reentered the kitchen, confused looks on their young faces. An awkward hush came over the room while everyone searched for words. Ultimately, it was Katara who broke the tension with a well-meaning lie that she hoped would not push anyone away.

"N-Never mind that, kids. Just a - family disagreement... Dinner should be ready soon, if everyone will please take a seat at the table."

"Alright..." Lin uttered suspiciously. "I'll get Su."

"I'll help." Tenzin said and followed Lin back outside.

Everyone lingered in the room silently for a few seconds after the kids left.

"Toph..." Katara started in a softer voice, but was cut off by the stubborn metalbender as she stormed into the hallway toward the dining room.

Sokka shot a disappointed look at his sister, feeling that she should know Toph better than this by now. Though she always put up a tough front, Toph was very sensitive to personal attacks and often handled them by not handling them. He followed her into the hall and stopped her stride by placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

Toph stopped at his touch, shrinking in demeanor until she sqeaked out in her smallest voice, "I'm doing the best I can..."

"I know..." Sokka responded immediately and pulled her in for a hug. She sunk in to his embrace, allowing her small frame to get wrapped up in his strong arms. It was a good minute before she tilted her head upward to speak.

"You want to get together after this and blow off some steam?" Toph asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Sokka smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"I think you know." She stated and smirked in his direction. "What do you say?"

"I say yes, but what about the girls?"

"They're not five. They can stay home alone for a while."

"Sounds good." He replied and kissed her on the temple before they continued into the dining area.

"Can you help me get the food out, sweetie?" Katara asked as if nothing is wrong and opened the oven.

"Yes - but - what just happened? I thought we were angry with her." Aang replied with confusion.

"Of course I'm angry, but I invited them over for a nice meal and I'm not about to let a stupid argument ruin that." Katara said with exasperation and practically threw the metal sheet pan onto the stovetop out of frustration.

Aang backed off immediately and went into loving husband mode. "It's going to be okay." He said as he hugged her softly from behind and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's not okay... Tenzin lied to us and that is a direct result of how Toph handles her household. She doesn't set any boundaries! And she allows her kids to run rampant and treat people with disrespect."

"Katara... You know as well as I that Lin is not that way."

Katara sighed and nodded. "I guess that's true... She has grown up to be a very responsible young woman. But, I stand by what I said before; Toph is handling this the wrong way and I don't want my kid thinking he can get away with whatever he wants."

Aang thought for a moment, "Well..." he began reluctantly, "we may have slightly overreacted."

Katara whipped around and stared him down with a devastating glare. "So, all of a sudden you're on their side?"

"I'm not on anyone's side." He responded quickly. "I just think that - maybe - Toph might be right about giving our son some freedom. Tenzin - well - he's not a kid anymore. He's eighteen."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!"

"Our son is a bright, talented, and responsible young man and Toph's right - we should be treating him that way."

Katara shook her head and crossed her arms, not wanting to admit it. Aang approached her again and lowered his voice. "I just want what's best for him."

"What are you saying?"

"I think it's time for Tenzin to complete his airbending training." He said, bringing up a conversation they had only a short time ago.

"He's not ready..."

"No, we're not ready... He's been ready for a few years now. If we really want him to become the airbender and the man he can be, we have to let him go."

"He'll be gone three years, Aang. Living as a monk, not able to see his family or his friends... I'm not so sure it's the best decision."

"I have already been in contact with the spiritual leaders of the Southern and Eastern Air Temples. They assured me that they will take good care of him. Not to mention, Tenzin wants to do this. He has such respect for our culture and heritage and he is prepared to do what it takes to become a master."

Katara sighed for a long time. "I know..."

"And - if you're worried about he and Lin staying out of trouble, this will be a sure-fire way to prevent it." Aang continued, sharing the same concern as his wife as he wrapped his arms around her once again.

"That's true." She agreed thoughtfully.

After a few more minutes lost in thought, Katara nodded. "Okay... You're right..."

"Really?" Aang asked, overly ecstatic about the prospect that his son was to become the second airbending master in the entire world.

Katara smiled. "Yeah. Let's just do it quick. I don't think I can deal with keeping this a secret."

"How about we make the announcement...tonight?"

"What? That's too soon!"

"Think about it! We make the announcement and tonight becomes a celebratory dinner with all of the people we care about." He prodded hopefully.

"It does feel - right." Katara paused, "Okay. I'm with you. We tell him tonight."


End file.
